Children & Young People's Ministry – Children, Schools & Young People Framework – Diocese of Canterbury

March 10, 2014March 10, 2014

Some tricky questions….

The latest CYM blog post by Nick Shepherd.

For all the energy and innovation we display in practice, there are some serious short comings in our understanding of mission within Christian children and youth work.

Much of our recent thinking on mission has been around the contextual nature of our practice. How do we contextualise the gospel in youth culture(s)? How do we pioneer new expressions of being church that resonate with people’s lived experience of spirituality and God? We also face some tricky questions around how our work to engage marginalised young people can be ‘proselytisation free’. Similar issues abound around the nature of Christian schools work and participation in community youth work. These questions aren’t easily answered by the conversation on contextualisation because the call into question our broader understanding of the purpose of mission. We are still vexed by what John Stott famously called the two sides of the coin when it comes to Christian mission – evangelism and social action. We can’t separate these ‘requirements’ but we also struggle to hold them together. For mission work with children, young people and families to flourish we need to revisit this debate and, for many of us at least, do a better job of articulating what we hope to achieve. Read more here

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This is the web home for ChYP's Ministry blog (the children & young people's ministry) These posts are intended to support anyone involved in ministry with children and young people in our Diocese.

ChYP's ContactsMurray WilkinsonChYPs Ministry Adviseremail Murray01227 459401Ronni LamontFaith & Nurture Adviseremail Murray01227 459401Sarah DonlanChYPs Administratoremail Sarah01227 459401Sarah is available mon-fri 9am - 5pmCapt Graham NunnChildren's Missioneremail Graham01622 672088Graham is a church army officer and works throughout the Diocese in schools and parishes. He is also the Messy Church Coordinator for East Kent